Device for circulating liquids inside a compartmentalised container

ABSTRACT

A device to facilitate the flow of one or more liquids within a container, to enable the user to mix the desired number of liquids by selecting the adjacent compartments to be connected, and thus to obtain a blend suited to the needs. 
     It comprises a wall ( 1 ) perforated with at least one hole ( 2 ) and a plate ( 3 ) perforated with at least one hole ( 4 ) too. The plate may comprise a pull tab ( 5 ) and is placed in a space ( 6 ) against or inside the wall. This device is inserted between two compartments filled with liquid, one on the left ( 7 ) and the other on the right ( 8 ) of the device. 
     When the user wishes to mix two liquids contained in each of the two compartments ( 7 )( 8 ), he simply slides the plate ( 3 ) against the wall ( 1 ) so that the two holes ( 2 )( 4 ) are aligned. This allows the liquids to mix.

This invention involves a device to discharge liquids from onecompartment to another within the same container.

Up to now, it has not been possible to facilitate the flow of one ormore liquids within a container, to enable the user to mix the desirednumber of liquids by selecting the adjacent compartments to beconnected, and thus to obtain a blend suited to his needs. As no systemscurrently offer such a solution, there is clearly a market in the fieldof liquid circulation within a single container with severalcompartments.

The device proposed below meets this demand. A plate with a hole in itis held, for each compartment, against one of the walls of thecompartment adjacent to another compartment. As the wall also has a holelocated above the plate hole, as is no liquid flow is possible. Each ofthe plates can be slid in the vertical direction (or horizontallydepending on the desired orientation of the container or liquids) bymeans of a pull tab. This tab is a continuation of the plate and differsfrom the rest of the container, or from a more elaborate computerizedmechanism for more complex applications. When the user slides theplates, two holes (wall and plate) align. So there is liquid flow andmixing if the two compartments contain liquid.

It is considered that:

The plates and walls can be drilled with several holes (from 1 toinfinity).The plates may be held against the walls by providing a space inside thewalls to put the plates against or inside the walls.This device is used for a container having any number of compartments(from 2 to infinite).This device can be used in vertical and horizontal directions.This device may comprise notched plates and walls, with the notchesbeing serrated or rounded.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the front view of a plate with pull tab, put next to a wallseen front on, in order to clearly show the non-alignment of the holes.

FIG. 2 shows the sliding mechanism of a plate with pull tab against awall viewed from the front, when the plate is pressed down as low aspossible.

FIG. 3 shows the sliding mechanism of a plate with pull tab against awall viewed from the front, when the plate has been raised and the 2holes are aligned.

FIG. 4 shows the sliding mechanism of a plate with pull tab against awall seen from a three-quarter front view, when the plate is presseddown as low as possible.

FIG. 5 shows the sliding mechanism of a plate with pull tab against awall seen from a three-quarter front view, when the plate has beenraised and the 2 holes are aligned.

FIG. 6 shows the mechanism between two compartments filled with liquid,when the plate is pressed down as low as possible.

FIG. 7 shows the mechanism between two compartments filled with liquid,when the plate has been raised and the 2 holes are aligned.

FIG. 8 shows a plate placed inside a wall seen from above.

FIG. 9 shows a plate placed against a wall seen from above.

FIG. 10 is a variant of this rounded notched mechanism, when the plateis pressed down as low as possible.

FIG. 11 is a variant of this rounded notched mechanism, when the platehas been raised and the 2 holes are aligned.

Referring to these drawings, the device comprises a wall (1) perforatedwith at least one hole (2) and a plate (3) perforated with at least onehole (4) too. The plate may have a tab (5) and is put in a space (6) ofthe wall either against or inside the wall. This device is positionedbetween two liquid-filled compartments. One on the left (7) and theother on the right (8) of the device.

When the user wishes to mix two liquids contained in each of the twocompartments (7)(8), he simply slides the plate against the wall (1) sothat the two holes (2)(4) are aligned. This allows the liquids to mix.In this variant of the device, the user slides the plate by pulling onthe tab (5).

According to a non-illustrated variant, the plate can be slid usingcomputerized and/or remote controlled electronic mechanisms.

Depending on the desired application for this device, the parts can bemade from a wide variety of materials and of very variable dimensions.

The device described above is intended for:

Packaging containers for liquid food (fruit juices, vegetable soups,salad dressings of various types, sodas, gravy mixes for catering, andother sweet or savory mixtures).

Pots for packaging paints.

Cosmetic liquid packaging cases and in the cosmetics industry for liquidmixtures (in tank-like containers).

Agri-food industry for liquid mixtures (in tank-like containers).

Chemical industry for liquid mixtures (in tank-like containers).

Iron, steel and metallurgy industry for molten metal mixtures (intank-like containers).

Pharmaceutical liquid packaging cases and in the pharmaceutical industryfor liquid mixtures (in tank-like containers).

1) Device for producing mixtures of liquids within the same containerwherein it comprises a sliding plate perforated with at least one holelaid against a wall of the container, the wall being also perforatedwith at least one hole and enabling the liquids to flow from onecompartment to the other when the holes are aligned, these two holesonly being juxtaposed by the sliding of the plate. 2) Device accordingto claim 1 wherein the plate and the adjoining wall can be perforated bymore than one hole. 3) Device according to claim 1 wherein the slidingwall comprises a pull tab at its top. 4) Device according to claim 1wherein the plate is remotely controlled. 5) Device according to claim 1wherein the plate is placed in a space (designed for this purpose)inside the wall. 6) Device according to claim 1 wherein the slidingsystem of the plate is toothed, the notches being either serrated orrounded and helping the user to choose the distance covered by theplate. In this case, the plate and the wall are toothed.